A Shoulder To Lean On
by WhiteFerrets
Summary: Quinn Fabray expected her last week of summer to be peaceful. Well, until a certain Slytherin best friend of hers came crashing into her living room in the middle of the night. AU, HP/Glee crossover. Quinntana friendship. Implied Sanmione. ONESHOT.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Harry Potter. None of the characters are mine. That's why it's called fanfiction.**

**A/N: So, I wrote this several days ago and posted it on my tumblr because I reached a ridiculous number of posts. I asked for requests, and my friend Tat asked me to write a Potterverse Glee fic without Kurt or Blaine as the main characters. Which was easy for me, considering I'm kind of obsessed with Potterverse!Faberittana right now. ANYWAY, here we go. I feel pretty meh about this oneshot but I hope you enjoy it.**

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><p>Quinn Fabray, a proud Ravenclaw, expected her last week of summer break to be peaceful and quick. She had all of her books and equipment for her sixth year at Hogwarts packed in her school trunk already. She was more than ready to get back to school and intended on wasting the week away through sleep and chocolate, reading book after book until it was time to board the Hogwarts Express once more.<p>

Beth, her cat and most reliable companion, lay at Quinn's feet as Quinn leaned against the arm, her reading glasses perched clumsily on her nose, engrossed in the latest muggle novel she bought in London a few weeks previously. The grandfather clock standing opposite the fireplace chimed midnight and Quinn briefly considered turning in for the night – but she was so close to the end of the book, she couldn't just put it down and leave it to be completed in the morning. As the clock stopped chiming, she got comfy and turned the page.

Before Quinn could get much further into the thrilling story of Sally Rider, the first female pirate to sail the seven seas, her fireplace burst into bright green flames and a certain Slytherin best friend of hers fell out. Santana Lopez's hands and knees hit the carpet with a dull thud, which was masked by her hysterical sobbing and coughing. The commotion of Santana's entrance disturbed Beth and the cat scrambled over the back of the sofa, racing for the stairs.

"Mother of Merlin," Quinn gasped, throwing her book and glasses aside as she pushed herself out of her seat. "Santana?" She pulled Santana into her arms, cradling her as her body shook with the force of her sobs.

"They know," she cried. "Mum, dad, they know, they found out, _Hermione_." Santana struggled to speak coherently but her words managed to send chills down Quinn's spine. She didn't respond, she didn't dare ask questions about such a delicate subject, and so she sat with her best friend in her arms, rocking her back and forth and making shushing noises in Santana's ear.

Quinn heard footsteps on the stairs and raised her head, holding Santana tighter as Quinn's mother entered the room. She looked half-asleep, confused, and irritated all in one.

"Santana?" she said, her voice cracking. Santana didn't acknowledge her. "Quinn, what's going on? Why is she here?"

"I've got it, Mum. Go back to bed," Quinn replied, guarded and hesitant. She knew her mum would do everything in her power to stop the girls from interacting if she knew who Santana really was, and she couldn't let that happen. But Mrs Fabray looked suspicious, and so Quinn added, "She got into a fight with her parents, Mum. Go, get some sleep."

Mrs Fabray continued to look at the girls for a moment before mumbling something incoherent, shaking her head, and turning towards the staircase again. Quinn continued rocking Santana as she heard her mother's feet on the upstairs landing. Seeing Santana like this scared Quinn. It absolutely terrified her. She was always the tough, bitchy one. She would make the entire school bawl from her mean words before she even considered shedding a tear. Crying just wasn't something Santana did. For her to be in Quinn's arms, not only crying but _sobbing_ like she'd just been told her girlfriend only had two days to live, it scared Quinn more than Voldemort, or the time the dementors snuck into the grounds during Third Year and sent the Gryffindor seeker spiralling to his seemingly inevitable death.

Santana was genuinely freaking her out.

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><p>Half an hour later, Quinn supported a weak, sniffling Santana into the kitchen. She pulled a stool out from the dining table in the middle of the room for Santana to sit in while she got the girl a glass of water. It wasn't until she turned around to walk back to Santana that she noticed her busted lip and dry blood on her chin. Pursing her lips, Quinn grabbed a clean dishcloth from the drawer beneath the sink, soaking it.<p>

She pushed herself up onto the table and sat the glass of water down beside her. Santana was staring blankly at the empty vase on the other side of the room and Quinn reached out to put a hand on the girl's cheek, intending on pulling her face around, but Santana swatted her hand away before it could even touch her skin. Quinn bit her lip.

"Look at me, San. I need to clean you up before that gets infected."

It took Santana a moment to respond but after several long, silent moments, she turned and lifted her head to look Quinn in the eye. Santana's eyes were soft, bloodshot, afraid. It made Quinn's heart hurt, seeing Santana's guard crumbling at her feet. She was so used to the strong, nasty stare that never left Santana's face, the way she could send a million insults through a mere look. But as Quinn looked at her best friend, defenceless and weak, it was like looking at a stranger. A stranger she loved with all of her heart, a stranger she wanted to help and take care of.

Quinn worked in silence, wiping away the dry blood and avoiding Santana's unwavering gaze. Santana hissed through her teeth as Quinn applied pressure to her lip but didn't attempt to move away.

"Why do you always have to do everything the Muggle way?" Santana asked, her voice cold as Quinn pulled her hand back. She didn't sound curious, not in the slightest. It almost sounded like an accusation, an insult of sorts.

"It's interesting life experience," Quinn replied, shrugging half-heartedly. She looked down at the dirty dishcloth in her hands. "Honestly, it just gives me something to think about. I can concentrate on the task at hand instead of the difficulties of life. It's nice."

Silence. Quinn was too afraid to say anything more, and Santana was too afraid to look away. Hesitantly, Quinn looked up. Her eyes locked with Santana's. Several seconds passed and neither of them moved an inch.

"Can we talk about what happened tonight?" Quinn said eventually, her voice soft. Santana changed instantly, crossing her arms, gaze falling to the table. She closed in on herself and Quinn knew the answer before Santana could even open her mouth.

"It's nothing, Fabray," she snapped. Quinn sighed.

Another moment of silence passed before Quinn leaned over and pressed a kiss to Santana's forehead. "I'll make some hot chocolate," she whispered, sliding off the table and heading towards the cupboards.

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><p>An hour and five cups of hot chocolate later, Santana finally talked. Quinn set down another cup of hot chocolate and watched as Santana curled her fingers around the warm drink. She stared at it intently and Quinn took a delicate sip from her own beverage, keeping an eye on her best friend over the top of her cup.<p>

"Hermione sent me a letter," Santana said carefully, as though she was selecting each word a mere moment before she spoke them, and Quinn almost choked on her hot chocolate. She hadn't expected Santana to tell. Quinn sets her cup down on the table and holds her breath, waiting for Santana to continue. "My dad read it because I wasn't out of bed when it arrived. I don't know what it said, but it was something about … our relationship."

Quinn noticed how much effort Santana was putting into keeping her voice steady and she reached out, putting a hand over Santana's in comfort. Santana pulled away instantly, frowning. Quinn slowly withdrew her hand again.

"I'm sorry."

Santana ignored her. "They woke me up screaming and we've been arguing all day. Dad's pissed about her blood status, Mum's pissed that I'm gay." Quinn bit her lip when Santana's voice dropped on the last word, like it was taboo. Santana swallowed thickly before continuing. "Dad slapped me and told me to get the fuck out of his house … so I came here."

"Oh, San-"

"Don't even with the sympathy shit, Fabray," Santana snapped, holding a hand up to silence her. "I don't want to hear it. You wanted to know why I came crashing into your living room tonight, and now you know. So just don't, okay?"

"I'm sorry."

Santana softened and looked over at Quinn. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

Quinn nods, reaching over to gently tuck a strand of hair behind Santana's ear. As she began drawing her hand back, she caught hold of Santana's fingers and pulled them to her, pressing her lips against her knuckles. "You can stay as long as you want, San. During the holidays, too. You're always welcome."

If their classmates could see Quinn and Santana now, they would all be convinced they'd stepped into an alternate universe. The most popular girls in school, the biggest stars on their respective Quidditch teams, ice queens with blunt honesty and sharp tongues. They only ever admitted vulnerability around one another, only in privacy, only when they were too exhausted to continue acting emotionless. If their peers saw them like this, cheeks stained with tear tracks, eyes showing such raw emotion, Quinn pressing a kiss to Santana's hand – it would turn their worlds upside down. Quinn fought back a smile at the thought.

"Do you want me to contact Hermione tomorrow morning? I have her phone number."

"Her what?" Santana asked, frowning in confusion..

Quinn smiled faintly. "It's a Muggle communication device," she replied, and Santana shook her head. "I can call her if you want, get her to Floo over here."

"No," Santana said firmly. "I can't talk to her, not yet. I just …"

"I get it. It's fine." Pause. "Come on, it's getting late. You should try to get some rest." Quinn let go of Santana's hand and stood up, taking the half-full cups to the sink and tipping the rest of the hot chocolate down the drain. As Santana got out of the chair, Quinn wrapped an arm around her best friend's waist. They paused in the living room momentarily to pick up Quinn's book and glasses, and again at the staircase to turn the lights off, but they made their way up the stairs together.

That morning, Mrs Fabray would walk in to Quinn's room to find Quinn spooning Santana. She would pause for a moment, confused, before brushing it off and smiling. Because she would trust Quinn to explain everything to her when they awoke, and Mrs Fabray couldn't help but wonder how such a loyal friend as Quinn could end up in any Hogwarts House aside from Hufflepuff. She would consider waking the girls before deciding against it, closing the door as quiet as possible on her way out.

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><p><strong>AN: So that's the oneshot. It's the first crossover I've ever written, and honestly, I've never read any crossovers longer than a drabble. So, uh, yeah ... this was a new experience. But it was pretty fun.**

**Please review!**


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